Jinshi-sama [2]

Jinshi (Jinshi) is the deuteragonist of the Apothecary Diaries series. He appears to be a handsome eunuch in charge of the Inner Court and often asks Maomao to solve mysteries in the Imperial Palace in exchange for rare medicines. He finds her attitude refreshing and fun, but his childish curiosity transforms into romantic affection.

That title no longer belongs to me: a royal son has been born.
–Jinshi, light novel

Jinshi's most prominent feature is his exceptionally beautiful face. Often described as "looking like a celestial maiden," he possesses a feminine appearance, with long, silky, jet-black hair and obsidian eyes. In the light novel, he is depicted with dark purple hair and pink eyes. Despite his feminine face, Maomao comments that his body is "surprisingly well-built" and that his hands are soft and masculine, albeit calloused from swordsmanship. His appearance is said to be so captivating that a mere glance at his face is enough to captivate most girls and men; Maomao even fears that Jinshi might start a war with the warlords vying for his affections. When applying lipstick, she comments to herself that he has reached such a level of beauty that if anyone other than herself, Suiren, and Gaoshun were to see it, it would spark a national crisis.

Unlike most other court officials in the series, Jinshi wears his hair pulled back, tied with a cloth. He is often seen wearing court official robes. While he wears an angelic smile in public, he abandons it in private and reverts to his usual childlike expression.

Although Jinshi appears composed and calm, he possesses a lack of self-confidence. Although he is intelligent and diligent, as Maomao noted, and has a head for unraveling mysteries, he is neither a great scholar nor a brilliant general and thus believes himself to pale in comparison to the great shadow that is his "older brother", the Emperor. However, Jinshi is aware that his appearance is extraordinary and thus uses his looks and natural charm as weapons to compensate for his perceived mediocrity in other areas. Maomao notes that he has a split personality in this regard; while he adopts an angelic persona in public, he is more childish than he lets on, a fact known to only a few.

Charm: Possessing a beauty that attracts both men and women, Jinshi is able to influence most people with his appearance alone, although it can sometimes be a problem when he attracts unwanted attention from eccentric people.

Influence: As an imperial prince, Jinshi wields great political power and influence both within and outside of the Inner and Outer Courts. However, since he served as a eunuch rather than a royal for much of his life, his influence pales in comparison to that of the Emperor. Even so, it was enough for him to purchase Maomao's freedom from the House of Verdigris, build a literary school for palace ladies, lead a battalion during the Shi Clan's rebellion, and provide food, medical, and research aid to the Western Capital during the locust plague. He is currently working on a policy that would allow women to become court medical officials, who would replace male physicians and eunuchs within the Inner Court.

Gender: Male
Age: 18 (real age), 23 (as the eunuch Jinshi) (debut)
Hair color: Black (WN), Dark Purple (LN)
Eye color: Black (WN), Pink (LN)
Height: 181 cm

Japanese:壬氏ジンシ
Romaji:Jinshi
Pinyin: Ren Shi
Nickname: Zui (瑞, Rui) (by Ah-Duo), Yue (月, Yue) (by Ah-Duo)
Alias: Jinka (壬華, Renhua) (costume)
Kousen ( ) (costume)香泉コウセン
Heavenly Maiden
Prince of the Moon
(Prince of the Moon/Prince of the Night)
Original name:Ka Zuigetsu( , Huá Ruì Yuè )華瑞月

Familiar:
Emperor (legal older brother, biological father)
Ah-Duo (legal sister-in-law, biological mother)
Lingli (legal niece, biological half-sister)
Crown Prince (legal nephew, biological half-brother)
Second Prince (legal nephew, biological half-brother)
Three legal nieces and/or nephews, unnamed babies, biological half-siblings †
Empress Regent † (legal grandmother, biological great-grandmother)
Former Emperor † (legal father, biological grandfather)
Anshi (legal mother, biological paternal grandmother)
Suiren (biological paternal grandmother)
Imperial Brother † (legal nephew, biological uncle)
Suirei's mother † (legal half-sister, biological half-aunt)
Suirei (legal half-niece, biological half-cousin)

Service:
Suiren (former nanny and current lady-in-waiting)
Gaoshun (temporary assistant)
Maomao (temporary lady-in-waiting)

Status: Alive

Place of birth: Inner Palace

Title: Younger Brother of the Emperor
Affiliation: Imperial Palace
Inner courtyard
Outdoor patio

Occupation:
Inner Yard Supervisor (Previous)
Former Foreign Court Official

Royalty: Ka Clan

Jinshi is the eldest son of the current Emperor and his only son with Lady Ah-Duo.

Jinshi's birth was difficult, partly because it coincided with that of her uncle, Imperial Brother. Considered a lower priority, Ah-Duo was denied proper medical care, depriving her of her womb and leaving her on the verge of death. To give her son the highest chance of survival, Ah-Duo arranged an exchange between Jinshi and Imperial Brother. Thus, Jinshi was raised as his biological father's younger brother, while the real Imperial Brother died in infancy.

Although the current Emperor wanted Jinshi to be the next Crown Prince, Jinshi hated the idea. To get out of this situation, he bet with the Emperor over a game of Go, with the stipulation that if Jinshi lost, he would become Crown Prince; however, if he won, he would assume the role of eunuch. After winning, Jinshi assumed his introductory role in the series as "Jinshi," the 24-year-old eunuch who oversaw the Inner Palace. His actual age was 19.

As the overseer of the Inner Palace, Jinshi was the one who chose Gyokuyou and Lihua as consorts. He discovered and told Gyokuyou that Maomao was the one who warned them about the toxic face powder in the Imperial Harem, leading Gyokuyou to hire her as a poison tester.